Variety (July 1913)

VARIETY BALLARD'S 10-20 CIRCUS COMPLE TELY B ROKEN DOWN Show Tied Up in Mass., by Attachments From Every- body. Two Cars on Siding Held. Some Performers Left Before Blow-off Arrived. Others Waiting for Funds. Waltham, Mass., July 2. The hard and seamy side of the show business is well illustrated with the advent of DeWitt Ballard's "Great- est 10 and 20 cent Show on Earth/' in Waltham. The show was advertised to play here for two days and it still remains here, or what is left of it, because it can't get out. Poor busi- ness financially embarrased the outfit before it reached the "Watch City" and it was pretty well crippled when it reached here about noon Thursday. Aside from the present attachments, brought by the hostlers and Al. Sei- bert (owner of two white bare-back horses), one of its railroad cars had been attached in Worcester and only two cars arrived in Waltham. A band of lady musicians and several other performers had severed their connec- tion with the show only a few days prior to its reaching this city be- cause they could not get any money. The management was unable to get ready for the performance Thursday afternoon but it did give some sort of a show Thursday night. There was no show Friday after- noon, but something in the way of a program was attempted that night in order to raise enough money to feed the few performers and employees who still remained. The two cars, on the Elm street siding, have been attached by the Boston & Main Railroad Com- pany, it is believed. Following on the heels of this show Sig Sautelle's "9-Big-Shows" was scheduled to show here. It did Sat- urday and drew a good house. When Mr. Sautelle heard of the plight of the Ballad outfit he offered two-thirds of the entire value for what remained of the show and it was refused. The big top was packed away in the cook house, which, with the animal tent, is all that remains visible to the passerby. Seibert's two horses and a Iamb is all that was under the canvas Sunday. Both tents are pitched on a small lot on the outskirts of the city and the few persons who stuck to the out- fit are sitting around wondering where their next three "squares" are coming from. Some complain of hav- ing had nothing to eat while others are satisfied to await the return of Ballard, who left the show Saturday night and went to Boston, hoping that he will return with sufficient means to pay them off. Some of the hostlers are accepting the hospitality of neigh- bors. Starting from Bridgeport about one month ago as one of the prettiest lit- tle shows that ever went through the small towns, it promised to be a suc- cess. When reaching Massachusetts the performers noticed they were not drawing the crowds which had been anticipated but when the pay envelope was not forthcoming at the week end they began to get suspicious and finally one by one of the troupe left. What remains of the employees claim that Ballard saw what was com- ing and rather than drop the show he stuck it out by withholding the pay in an effort to make a go of the show, but when they reached Waltham they became so dissatisfied that they could rot hold out any longer and filed an attachment in the Middlesex Registry of Deeds and the writ was served Friday. CARNIVAL CO. 8BT BACK. Spokane, July 2. The Miller Carnival Co., showing through the Northwest, went on the rocks last week in Hillyard, a Spokane suburb while entertaining the Moose. The joy germ ceased to breathe when the Tango Girls refused to dance because they had friends in the town. Then a husky Great Northern ma- chinist broke the strength-testing machine, and four of the snake charm- er's pets suddenly died. To cap the climax the transfer com- pany attached the ballet dresses and the hotel company seized the tents and the merry-go-rounds. Only for these things the Miller show might yet be winding its merry way westward to the Pacific slope. LUCKT CIRCUS ACCIDBNT. Montreal, July 2. The first of the five sections of the Barnum & Bailey Circus enroute Montreal from Ottawa where it showed June 28, ran into a stalled train 18 miles west of Montreal and seven horses were killed. Several of the cir- cus cars were wrecked but none of the train crew or circus hands injured. 25-CAR CIRCUS. A circus of 25 cars is being organ- ized to play in the midle west and south. The owners want the "Fore- paugh & Sells" title from the Ring- lings, who retired that circus to have less opposition to their other shows. The newcomers would be satisfied with a section of the title but the Ring- lings refuse to sell or lease. TABLOIDINO PAST SUCCESSES. Plans are being made to turn "Alma, Where Do You Live?" into tabloid form for next season by Joe Weber ihasmuch as the piece has played and repeated in nearly every town and hamlet in the United States and Canada. The Mittenthal Brothers have ar- ranged to tabloid their former musical show, "The Soul Kiss" for next sea- son over the Pantages circuit. NEW MUSIC PUBUSHERS. The Eureka Music Publishing Co. is an incorporation, lately organized. Two writers have been placed under contract. One is Al Bryan, well known for his popular music output, and the other is Dr. Gotzel-Feldman, com- poser of "Mme. Flirt" which the Shu- berts will produce in the fall. T. B. Harms Co. holds the publishing rights to the "Flirt" show music, but the Dr. is under agreement for five years to the Eureka Co. which will control his work during that time, including the music for "Megudeda Fraulein" an- other light piece the Shuberts will also likely secure. The financial interest behind the Eureka Co. is not disclosed. It is said, however, that no present music pub- lishing concern has any connection, and that the Shuberts are not in it. The Shuberts have not forgotten the time when they named a music com- pany after themselves, spelling the name backward (Calling it the Tre- buhs Co.). It ran backward like the name, until $10,000 behind when the Shuberts called everything off. The brothers got something back on this however, when they sold out to Charles K. Harris. Mr. Harris thought that by taking the load from their shoulders, he would handle all the mu- sic of the Shuberts' productions, but after the ball was over Mr. Harris only had the Trebuhs catalog and a couple of contracts he also regretted. WRONG ROYALTY STATEMENT. A writer of popular songs received a royalty check the other day. He immediately complained that there were more copies sold than accounted for. The publisher looked at the slip % second and replied "You have Victor Herbert's statement." BUTTE ON TAB CIRCUIT. Butte, Mont, July 2. By taking a lease on the Empire here and starting it as a tab house June 22, Allardt Bros., Boyle Woolfolk and G. Franklyn White are now bring- ing their shows down out of Canada through Calgary, Lethbridge, Great Falls, Helena and into Butte for a week. The Allardt-Wool folk Co. has aban- doned its coast idea for the present, but may go west in the fall of the year. TROUBLESOME TAB BOOKINGS. Chicag'^, July 2 Sam Thall head of the tabloid de- partment of the W. V. M. A. has set- tled down to the real work of routing the shows for next season. At the first meeting it was decided to accept 18 shows of Boyle Woolfolk's, two from Fred Lindsey and four from the Western Extravaganza Co. (The lat- ter company is the work of Charles E. Kohl.) The 24 shows were the first to be routed. The Interstate Producing Co. were told to send its shows over its own time first and later they would be routed in the other Association towns. That there will be some fuss before the season opens no one questions. If certain managers who hold interests in shows and at least one manager who has guaranteed certain producers of shows the time for which he draws down as his personal "bit" $50 per week, does not get the tabs routed, there is bound to be trouble. This manager who maintains that as long as there is a booking office there must be graft, has interested himself in sev- eral producers and is forcing his own houses to pay more money for the shows for his personal gain. Of the 18 shows to go out from the Woolfolk office nine will be new pro- ductions. Among the number are sev- eral well known musical comedies for which a big royalty is paid and a larg- er salary will naturally have to be forthcoming. John Kerney in "The Mayor of To- kio," heads the list. "The Three Twins." with Thos. Whiffen; "The Tenderfoot," with Wm. B. Morris; "Wizard of Oz," "Buster Brown," "Gin- gerbread Man," "Funny Mr. Dooley," "Dingbat Family," "Rock-a-bye Baby." and "Bright Eyes" are the others. Salaries have not been discussed as yet. There may be a hitch to the pro- ceedings on this score also. There are still 16 or 20 tabs to be selected. The exact number submitted to the office originally was 117 from which 40 to SO are to be picked. ALLEN*S TAB FLUKE. Jack Allen, producer of "A Night at Rector's," a tabloid production that fell at Glen Cove, L. I., this week, after playing the Hoboken Hippodrome for ? break-in period, is being sought by members of the company who allege Allen suddenly took himself away from Glen Cove, without the custom- ary business of paying salaries. Flester and Edwin, with the "tab," claim Allen handed them a check with- out making arrangements with the bank. Others are also said to have received similar slips from the pro- ducer. An irate hotel man in Glen Govt is also anxious to meet Allen. Meanwhile "A Night at Rector's" has suspended. SUMMER TABS PLAYING. Chicago, July 2. Boyle Woolfolk has returned from a trip over the western time where the tabloids were supposed to make a cir- cuit of the Cort houses this summer. Woolfolk has five shows out on the time now and he reports them as dc- ing fairly well. In the far north west '.hfy have been getting the mon*y buL in Calgary and Winnipeg business has not been good. Woolfolk blames this to a dearth of legitimate attractions which also suffered. Nine of the biggest legitimate stars booked in Calgary within a short space of time and the country has not been iable to support them all. The summer season up there where they hold their league baseball games starting at 7.30 in the evening is not good for show business. It is daylight until 9 p. m. The five tabs now on the circuit will play out the time. Woolfolk has ten shows at present and will probably keep seven or eight going all through the summer fnonths.